The ALL NEW Story Planner: A brand new way to organize your stories. Learn more here

The ALL NEW Story Planner: A brand new way to organize your stories. Learn more here.

May 31, 2011

13 Everyday Life Journaling Prompts

Last week I was checking in on the message boards at Two Peas and read a thread from someone who was looking for some everyday life journaling prompts. I immediately started thinking of some of my favorites and started writing.

Above are 13 journaling prompts/thought starters for telling the stories of your daily life. My hope is that you take these ideas and run with them - go tell some of those wonderfully basic stories. Words are powerful and there's no better time then right now. You can download a PDF of this list below:

Thanks so much Ali for listing these 13 prompts. I just typed them all into my Iphone note pad. I have been wanting to do this for a long time now but had no idea about going about it.

I too love photos from my childhood that include larger parts of a room or even a chaotic mess. Just yesterday I was sorting photos and came across one from a few years back that showed me in my kitchen putting an Easter ham into the crock pot. Initially the photo would have been scrapbooked as an Easter photo. Somehow, yesterday I saw something different. The photo really told a lot about my life at that time. First of all I was wearing a nursing gown because I had an infant at the time, on the counter were bottles and a single can of formula for supplementing. There are other things on the counter that we no longer have. Glasses that have since broken, a toaster that went to the trash some time ago, and our old stove. I began to see how much I have grown since that time in my life and what I have learned thus far. It completely amazes me how important telling the story is for me right now. My life is so much richer too. Simply because I am able to reflect back on changes I have made in my life, and things that still need work. I love how important that is to me right now.

Thank you, Ali for sharing these wonderful prompts. They capture what it is I want to remember for my children and for me. I take so many random, every day photos and always struggle to journal with them. These prompts will be perfect.

ali - thank you for being so real and genuine and freely giving of yourself. (i'm feeling sad lately to see some other blogs move to be only about the brand/business. you seem to strike the perfect balance. thank you !! )

Thanks Amy - I try to have a mix of both the personal and the business (especially keeping in mind that a big portion of what I do here is for my business that supports our family). I appreciate the feedback!

Thank you so much!! as a newbie to scrapping, I love how you incorporate journaling. Love the use of text, numbers, letters. These prompts really gave me a lot to think about. Instead of trying to glamorize our everyday lives, "why don't we appreciate what's right in front of us, as messy and delicious as it is?"
-Thanks for keeping us FOCUSED on what really matters ;)

Ali, thank you for these. I just used one yesterday to document the moment that I picked my daughter up from school. As she ran to her classroom door to greet me, I realized she had on the same shorts which meant she had no accidents at school. Such an accomplishment for both of us and an awesome opportunity to document the everyday stuff. Thanks for all the inspiration everyday!

Ali, you rock every week, but this week? You are reading my mind! First the 'everyday' prompts that I was needing (as I was just thinking 'hmmm, I need to jumpstart with something, but what?') and now I see that you've posted about baby albums & that is my next project. I've done about half of my daughter's baby album (um- oops she's almost 6! I'm so glad you said it's ok with you that albums sit for a while..) and have been gathering up things to continue on with it. Luckily I did keep odds & ends, wrote in a journal and have lots of photos for her album- all is not lost! I'm so motivated right now. Thanks for all the inspiration you provide! *have a great camping trip, too!

Not at all - the copyright is so that someone doesn't take the entire sheet (or portions of it) and sell it/make a profit from it. Inspiration is awesome - taking the idea and making a profit from it is not.

You are awesome! I admire that you share with the memory keeping world! I am always impressed by the level at which you think about information and can transform it into meaningful uses for you and all of us:)